Search - Urusei Yatsura - Movie 5 - The Final Chapter on DVD

Best. Urusei Yatsura. Movie. Ever.

Kit | New York, NY | 12/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As the title of the movie suggests, this is the finale of one of the most beloved series of all time. The movie is an extremely faithful adaption of the final 11 manga chapers that Rumiko Takahashi herself wrote, so fans can expect a true and blue send-off that's extremely fitting to the show.

This being the conclusion of the series, obviously you should only watch this film if you've seen or read enough of the material to know and love the characters. I guarantee you that any UY fan worth their salt will find themselves with at least a twinkle in their eyes after all is said and done. I know I almost lost it.

The visuals are pretty sharp and clean; even my brother, of whom enjoys criticizing old anime, found the movie transfer to be quite clear. AnimEigo did a superb job here.

Onto the sound, the movie runs on standard Dolby Digital, so everything sounds crisp and clean. The original UY cast of seiyuu all sound like their trademark selves, and the track have barely deteriorated even after so many years. The English language dubbing is superb; this is my first taste of AnimEigo's effort (and the second time I've seen UY dubbed) -- and I'm impressed. The voices are similar to the ones casted for "Beautiful Dreamer", with some improvements here and there. Ataru Moroboshi was great to hear, and Lum finally sounded exactly like how I've always imagined her to. Shinobu and Sakura were nearly identical to their dub voices in "Beautiful Dreamer", and Cherry is ALMOST perfect, barring the weird accent. The only character that I had a slight problem with was Mendou; there were a couple of scenes where his voice was a little off and too high-pitched for my taste, but that's due to personal preference since I'm used to the calm, suave delivery that Vinnie Penna brought to the character in "Beautiful Dreamer". A different fan might find Robert Rogan's approach to be perfect, and in retrospect, he does bring in a different dimension to the character.

For the extras, there's the original Japanese trailer which I've never had a chance to see before, some program notes with info on the various gags and gizmos found in the movie, and finally, an interview with Jerry Winsett, Jamie Phelps, and Robert Rogan, three of the cast of English voice actors. Personally, I did find the interview to be particularly intriguing, and some of the voice actors were genuinely funny. Worth at least a one viewing.

Lastly, we have the plot. In its most basic form, "The Final Chapter" is a standard love story, with standard plot elements and standard plot devices. BUT, we all know UY is anything but basic. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the audience captivated, and by the time the "real" plot rears in, you'll find yourself set and cheering on the characters like the bystanders in the race. As mentioned earlier, this movie is adapted directly from the manga chapters that the creator wrote, and thus almost every little thing is kept exactly the way it should be -- the visual gags, the infamous Takahashi slapstick humor; even most of the dialogue were ripped straight from the manga. If you're a Takahashi purist and have been unsatisfied with how the UY anime have turned out, then this movie will sure to make you very, very happy."

I thought it could have a part one of two!

Kit | 04/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listen, when I first saw this movie it was a very great movie! Here is the plot: Ataru is up to no good. Lum and Ataru meet Rupa, a man arranged to be married to Lum. He'll destroy the earth if Ataru does not say heloves Lum, or does not win a repeat of the game of tag. Only Lum doesn't go easy on him because he is meaner to Lum then all the times before this. The last words of the movie were: "Say you love me!"
"Yeah! On my death bed!" Pretty unconcluding, huh?"